The Angels aren't hiding what this stretch is about. Los Angeles was one of the sport's most aggressive sellers at the trade deadline, and Mike Trout said the fire sale hasn't changed how he feels about his future there — just what this particular roster is capable of in the meantime. Before the two clubs get to Sept. 2, though, there's a full slate in between: New York closes out a set with Boston on Aug. 30, and these two teams play each other twice, on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, before running it back for this game.
New York has taken 2 of its first 3 against Boston in this recent stretch, with one more game to be played — a set that could look different by the time the Yankees land in Anaheim. The Angels, meanwhile, have dropped the first 2 of their set with Philadelphia, with one more to go before they even see New York. Whatever shape both rosters carry into this one will owe something to how those in-between games go.
None of that changes the shape of this matchup on paper. New York is playing meaningful September baseball against a division rival breathing down its neck; Los Angeles is playing out the string with an eye on next year. The Angels sit at 52-84 doing it, on pace for one of the worst seasons in a decade that hasn't had a shortage of them.